Note: I'm not posting this article as a stab to Gerry's recent weight gain, but only because it reiterates something I was thinking about myself when the Barbados pictures first came out. As much as it irritates me to no end the unrealistic physical standards people are expected to hold to in this day and age, it irks me even more that men have always seemed to be pretty much immune to the worst of it. Women, on the other hand, have been raked over the coals like this, and much worse than this, for quite a long time. Unfortunately, rather than the trend improving, it appears to be getting worse, and targeting the men as well.

Gerard Butler's Belly Will Be the End to Hollywood's Beauty Double Standard

Paparazzi pictures of 300 stud Gerard Butler looking all fat in Barbados have everyone in a tizzy. Finally it seems male celebrities will be held to the same impossible body standards as their female counterparts. Thank God.

For so many years Hollywood's leading men, even of the leading and romantic varieties, have been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair after first seducing fans with their svelte physiques. Just look at Russell Crowe, Luke Wilson, and Vince Vaughn. This was acceptable behavior, to get all big and bloated and still play men who women fawn all over in the movies. It seems like Fatty Butler is putting this to rest.

"From Spartan to softie: Gerard Butler packs on the holiday pounds and shows off his new beach body," reads the headline in the New York Daily News. "Gerard Butler packs some paunch on his Barbados holiday as his Spartan muscles become a distant memory," says theU.K.'s Daily Mail. Celebitchy cuts right to the chase with, "Gerard Butler shows off his gut & moobs in Barbados."

These are the types of headlines usually reserved for female celebs like the Olsen twins, who are a constant source of speculation for being either too fat or dangerously thin. Jessica Simpson, who got the "Fat Jessica: Still Hot?" treatment when she gained a couple pounds last year. Britney Spears is only in the tabs good graces now that she has lost the weight from her Video Music Awards debacle in 2007.

Butler needs to follow Britney's example (did you ever think anyone would say that ever?) and get back in shape and remind the public that he is a hunk of burning love. After all, look at what we fell in love with? His role in 300 was predicated more on his abdominals than it was his acting ability, and that's what we want.

Sorry, we're not going to lobby for more lax standards for celebrities. If they want to be famous, they have to pay the price by being famously fit. After all, if we want to look at people carrying a bit of fat around the midsection we'll start following politics. Other than starring in movies and TV shows and making albums, stars have nothing else to do but go to the gym and eat right. They also have money and the access to afford the best trainers, nutritionist, yoga instructors, or surgery, if it really comes to that. And part of their job description is to be more beautiful than the fatties that we see every Saturday at the mall buying bigger sweatpants.

No matter what you might say about Madonna's scary arms, she managed to keep a stellar body into her 50s. Same with Jamie Lee Curtis, Demi Moore (not quite fifty), and even Sally Boniva Field! These women know that maintaining a career as an actress means being held up to nearly impossible standards, and it's finally time for the men to join in. Hear that, Val Kilmer? Better get to the gym, Alec Baldwin. Robert Downey Jr and Brad Pitt are still rocking killer bodies well into their prime, and that is going to be the standard for the future. That means Zac Efron will never eat another piece of chocolate cake in his life, but such is the price of fame.

The Star cover above, while predominantly concerned with women, also includes some men, which shows that they are starting to get the heat for looking good in public as well. Let's hope that Gerard is the final nail in that coffin. We're just sick of seeing man boobs with the men behind them getting a free pass from public ridicule.

i'm afraid to even comment. the beauty "standard" that we are ALL held to these days is a pet peeve of mine. i can get on a roll and really get "het up" so i guess i'll just say "thanks for the article, DK!!"

I actually like Alec more now, than I did when he was soooo skinny. I never found him attractive before.

I know Gman's not the only one who has been getting a lot of flack. Brendan Fraser is having the same problem. Both guys made it big when they showed off their abs of steel and now everyone wants them to always look like that. They didn't look like that before...why should they look like that after?

Now someone who has packed a few pounds, only looking for skinny wenches...there's a problem...a big double standard.

Thing is, Alice, guys usually don't have to worry so much about body image because women will date a paunchy man, especially if he is successful and has money. Men, on the other hand, aren't usually after a woman's money and/or success, but they want something young, slender and attractive to "show off" in public.

As much as I feel bad for Gerry about the negative comments regarding the Barbados pictures, at the same time I know he will still be able to frequent the fashion shows and hook up with slender and/or anorexic model types, just as long as he's raking in the money. I'm not saying all of those women are like that, but I would imagine those who aren't are an exception rather than the norm.

There definitely is a double standard when it comes to body image. Remember how they raked Jennifer Love Hewitt over the coals? And what about Britney Spears? I didn't think she looked all that bad, expecially since she had just given birth.

The real kicker is that men have clothes that look good on them pretty much regardless of size or shape, even truly rotund men. People would see, say Pavarotti in his later years (RIP), and say, gee, he's fat, but that's one good looking tuxedo. Not so of women.

Put Gerry in a tux and you couldn't tell whether he has washboard abs or a marshmallow tummy. He looks good either way.

Wow this is a touchy subject, and one could veer off into many different tangents.

Perhaps it is my naivete talking, but you'd think that aside from the pure escapism that actors/entertainers provide, their performances would be simply be enjoyed and respected.

Who cares how they look unclothed whilst on vacation? Yes, these folks are famous, in the public eye and subject to ridicule (and apparently invaded privacy), but they are still just people--who happen to act for a living.

Their craft should be more memorable than their physiques.

I suppose our curiosity demands we give in to reading tabloids and to finding humor about how a celebrity has changed, often in not such good ways.

Perhaps hammering down on the humanesque qualities of celebs helps us feel better knowing that they are indeed just like us.

In any event, Gerry doesn't look all that bad. He's just a guy, and many guys get the gut. Doesn't mean he will never work out again. Just let him be. I've seen worse on a guy, so much so that you'd really want him to stay clothed! And actually the extra on Gerry makes him look less like a skinny bean pole. (More to hug!) LOL

But I doubt anything in the biz will change. Women celebs will continue to get bashed, and male celebs will be made fun of---and then so what? Men will still get paunchy and snag the gals anyhow; and svelte ladies will still be the desired arm-candy of many a man. Pish...

As much as I feel bad for Gerry about the negative comments regarding the Barbados pictures, at the same time I know he will still be able to frequent the fashion shows and hook up with slender and/or anorexic model types, just as long as he's raking in the money. I'm not saying all of those women are like that, but I would imagine those who aren't are an exception rather than the norm.

That about sums it up!

I do feel bad for all the comments Gerry's getting, and I still think he looks hot. However, something tells me, like most guys, he wouldn't be as accommodating of a woman he was dating gaining that kind of weight, yet he gets to. It's a frustrating double standard that men get away with.

If Gerry's PR people didn't continue to try to market him as a "hunky beefcake", perhaps these Barbados pics wouldn't have created such a stink.

I realize a lot of people refer to 300, but that movie was, what, 4 years ago now? All of the actors have gone onto different things. No one raised such a stink about Michael Fassbender losing his figure when he went on to star in Hunger, and now Inglourious Basterds. People just need to move on, no one looks like a Spartan 24/7 unless they're a serious bodybuilder. And by the same token, women should be given the same leeway and breaks, too...maybe even moreso, since women have to deal with monthly bloating, periods, and pushing out babies.